The London 2012 Paralympic Games have also generated big numbers in terms of audience, both in person and online.

More than a million spectators have watched Paralympic events live in London, with more than 800,000 people visiting Stratford's Olympic Park, Locog said.

The levels of people interacting with social media about London 2012 show more people - particularly the young - are connecting with sport, said a Locog spokeswoman.

More than 5m people have downloaded London 2012's Paralympic results app, she added.

And London 2012 now has 4.5m followers across its social media output.

Paralympic tweets

More than 200,000 tweets a day were using the word "Paralympic" - with 12% of the UK's social media messages being about the Paralympics, said market research firm Nielsen.

The London 2012 website has received 10m visits since the Paralympics began - 32% from mobile devices, with half from the UK, she said.

For its part, the IPC's website received more traffic on the first day of the London Paralympics than it did throughout the whole of Beijing 2008, said Mr Spence.

The website is streaming 780 hours of live action across five channels with English and Spanish commentary throughout the Games.

It is also live streaming the Paralympic closing ceremony featuring an extended set by British band Coldplay.

The IPC wanted Paralympic sport to reach more countries than the 123 to which it was being broadcast on television, added Mr Spence, so its online coverage could reach a wider audience around the world.